All About Hunts For Alaska-Yukon Moose

Published: December - 1998

With the 1998 season drawing to a close, I was finally able to find enough Yukon outfitters at home to put together a mini-roundup of their moose hunt offerings. My conversations with them recently confirmed my belief that this province is the place to go right now for a trophy Alaska-Yukon moose, especially if you want to combine your hunt for that species with a hunt for other species, such as caribou, grizzly or even sheep. Here's an outfitter-by-outfitter roundup of what I found out:

Lee Bolster of Blackstone Safaris says 1998 was a great season, and he is very excited about a new area he will be hunting in 1999. This area has never been sport hunted. It is on the northern boundary of his 9,000-square-mile hunting concession, and Bolster had never even flown up there until this year. He says hunters should be able to get a crack at a bull that scores at least 210 B & C on this nine-day hunt, for which he is charging $8,000 (US) plus the seven percent GST, half of which is refunded, and licenses, which is a small cost. I know people who have hunted with Bolster and can say that any hunt with his outfit should produce a fantastic moose.

Pete Jensen of Hunt Yukon has 34 years experience outfitting Yukon hunts. He only ran five moose hunts this year, but his clients took bulls as large as 59 inches. Jensen reports European demand has softened, and he has an opening for next year on a 10-day combination moose and caribou hunt. The price is $7,700 (US), with a trophy fee of $1,500 if you take a caribou.

Chris Widrig of Widrig Outfitters Ltd. feels quality in his area has improved since he began hunting here in 1986. He attributes this to unseasonably mild winters and good wildlife management. He went 16 for 17 this year with one monster bull at 66 1/2 inches. Widrig points out that the width number is not always indicative of trophy quality, and many hunters forget that great........(continued)